Self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus



July 28, 1959 I SELF-LEVELING, STORING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 10, 1954 L. R. BELL x-:T AL

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 K Flc-5.1

lNvEN-roRs LEO R BEL L PYOBERT L. HOLLOWAY ATTORNEY Julyv 2s, 1959 L. R. BELL 'ET AL l SELFLEVELING, sToRING AND DISPENSINGAPPARATUS Filed Nov. 1o; l1954 v4 sheets-sheet 2 Fm. :av

INVENTORS Las R. BELL 955m L. HoLLowAY @1224,

ATTORNEY SELFfLEELING, s'roRING AND DISPSISINGv APPARATUS Fned'uqv, 1o, 1954 4 sheets-sheet ys INVEToRs v LEO R. BELL ROBERT L. HOLLOWAY ATTORNEY July 28, 1959 L. R. BELL ET AL v 2,896,790 sELF-LEIvELING', s'roRING AND DISPENSING APPARATU;`

Filed Nov. 1o, 1954 4 sheets4s'he'et 4 Fler lNvENTos LEO RBELL RYOBERT L. HOLLOWAY ATTORNEY SELF-LEVELINQ STURING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Leo R. Bell, Packanack Lake, NJ., and Robert L.Hollo way, Snyder, N.Y., assigner-s to American Machine @c l This invention relates to a self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus and more particularly to improvements in such apparatus and methods for rendering the capacity of said dispenser variable to enable material o f one weight to be stored at one time and material of another weight to be stored at another time.

' `Various improvements have been made heretofore for enabling the capacity of a self-ieveling, storing and dispensing apparatus to be varied, Such structures, for example, are disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,647,030, granted July 28, 1954, to l. L. G. Fitz Patrick, and U.S. Patent 2,601,295Qgranted .lune 24, 1952, to T. Jensen.

yOne difficulty in making a self-leveling dispenser variable has been the fact that when the dispensing apparatus is initially loaded the operator does not know how much counterbalancing force is actually required for the material which he is to store in the apparatus. As a consequence, if he Ydoes not employ a suiicient amount of counterbalancing force in the beginning when he cornmences loading the apparatus, he must add additional counterbalancing energyl to the apparatus after the loading is completed to enable it to iift the material to the desired elevation.

Adding additional energy has been objectionable as this required either additional manual efort or a special component to put additional energy into the system.

`Itis an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which will enable a user to proceed with loading his self-leveling dispenser like any other self-leveling apparatus. After the unit has been completely loaded,l then itis an object of this invention to provide an adjustingV device `which will enable the operator to adjust the capacity of his apparatus after it is fully loaded without requiring him to add additional energy into his apparatus so that it will automatically maintain the top level of the material at a constant level during the unloading process.

' ther objects and features of the lnvention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses. Inthe accompanyingy drawings, which form a partof this specification, .like characters of reference have been applied lto corresiadins ,Parts throughout the Several views which mak@ up 11.1.@ drawingsfthf? asesoramos drawings ,Fig, l is a sectional side elevation of the self-leveling dispensa illustraties@ Parallel linkasetwhsh sweats.

2,896,790 ,Patented July 28. 1959,

2 the Carrier platters; and the arcuate connecties @f the counterbalancing means which permits adjusting of the carrier when fully loaded;

Fig- 2 is also a secties@ .Side elevation 0f the self-level.- `ing dispenser illustrating the carrier platform and lits `supporting and counterbalancing mechanism when fully loaded; I l Y, n l

y`Fig. 3 is a rear View of the self-leveling dispenser taken online33ofFig.2; Y'

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectionall side elevation ot `the counterbalance spring adjusting mechanism; and

Fig. 5 is aV partial plan View illustrating one end of the carrier platform and its parallel linkage support and counterbalance adjusting mechanism. Y

The apparatus I have used to illustrate the invention consists of a carrier platform v10 which by means of'a pair of flanges 12 is secured o n itstwo opposed sides to a Vpair of brackets 14..` Each bracket 14, by vmeans of a stud shaft 1-6, .is pivotally held and'suppor'ted by the free end of an Yarm 18 extending from and forming an integral part of a horizontal sleeve 20. 'ifhe ends of sleeve'Zll are provided with a suital'ileilang'ev and ,stud shaft 22 pivotally supported by a suitable bearing 2.4.v The flange and stud shaft are secured tothe inner side of the outer Wall of a housing 26 and ferm part of the frame structure of the self-levelingV dispenser (Figj3).V i

The housings26 are connected at their bottom portions by means of a pair of suitable'tJ-shaped channels 2v8'and are spaced to permit the carrier platform 10 to ride up and down between the side walls 26, thus forming an'open end type self-leveling dispenser. The inner walls' of housings 26 which face each other are provided with able arcuate slots 30 through each of which protrude that portion of each bracket 14 which is secured'to the adjacent flange'12 ofthe carrier platform 10.` y

One end of a connecting rod 54 is'pivotally attached to the upper free end 32 of each bracket 14while the other end is loosely held by a stud 36"secured tokand projecting from a bracket 38 which is suitably mounted to the inner wall of housing 26.' The arrangementof each arm 18 and its respective'bracket 14 and rod 34fas shown in Figs. l and 2y is such that lit 'forms av parallelogr'amt'o which the'carrier' platform 1.0 is attached. results in the carrier platforms alwaysremaining' horizontal, regardless of its position.

The .carrie platform 1i) is supported and counterbalanced by means of a plurality of springs 40 arranged in double rows Within .the housings 26 adjacent the yopposite sides of said platform. As illustrated in the drawings, two rows of springs are contained vin each housing and the upper -end of each spring 40 of each of the two rows is anchored' to a bracket 42. while its lowerend is attached to a bracket 44.

Bracket 42 iS Pivotally attached to a stud shaft 46 held by a suitable supporting member 48 secured to the inner wall of housing 2.6. Each lower bracket 44 is provided with a pair of spaced lugs 50 from each side of which protrudes a stud shaft 52. A roller 54 is pivotally attached to the free end of each stud 52. Each roilerSflengages with an arcuate cam track 56 of a cam 58 which is secured to arm 18 while the Vother one is fastened to asister arm 60 which is of the same design and shape as arm 18 and lis parallel' and integral with the same.

A cylindrical member 62 is also pivotally mounted on the opposing ends of .stud shafts 52, between lugs 50. The :vylindrical member 62 is provided with a threaded bore at right langles to its axis into which is 'threaded la spindle The latter, at itslother end, protrudes through suitable slots 66 ,of theliorizpntal sleeve 20 and carries vat its endl a sprocket (Eig. 4); The'spindle 64 at this end is also, suppprted in a pair of suitable bearing lugs 7l] which slideably gemailt a portion of the inner surface 3 Y as `well as the periphery of the horizontal sleeve 20 to permit a slight arcuate movement of said bearing during adjustment of spring brackets 44.

The sprockets 68 on the two spindles 64 are connected by means of an endless chain 72, which passesV through suitable slots 74 provided in the opposing side walls of the two housings 26. The end of one of the spindles 64, projecting from the hub of one of the sprockets 68, is provided with a heXagon member 76 for the purpose of permitting turning said spindle either clockwise orA counter-clockwise by means of a suitable spinner wrench 78.

The latter, for convenience, may be secured to the Vframe housing 82 by means of suitable hook brackets 80. A suitable slot 84 (Fig. 3) in the end wall of one of the housings 26 permits accessV to the hexagonal member 76 of one of the spindles 64.

Since the two spindles 64 are connected -to each other by means of the chain 72, when one spindle is turned by meansof the spinner wrench 78 the other spindle is caused to turn a like amount. Turning of spindles 64 causes the threaded cylindrical members 62 to either shorten or lengthen the distance from the latter to the center of the pivot point on studs 22 which is the swinging point of arms 18.

. The cylindrical member 62 lines up with stud shafts 52 and rollers 54 which are the pivot points for the brackets 44 `to which the lower ends of the springs 40 are attached. The upper ends of said springs, as mentioned heretofore, are hooked to the bracket 42 which is pivotally held by the stationary stud 46. from this stud 46 which gives the arcuate slot 56 its shape so that the carrier carried by the parallel linkage described above may be easily adjusted when it is fully loaded and is in its lowermost position without adding or subtracting energy.v

The geometry of the linkage may be so arranged that the ratio of the load on the platform to the effective spring restoring force is constantly proportional regardless of whether the apparatus is completely unloaded or completely loaded for all the positions of the lower spring bracket 44 relative to arm 18. In order to accomplish this it is necessary that in the fully-up position the effective spring restoring moment equals the downward moment caused by the tare weight of the platform 10, ilanges 12, arm 18, bracket 14, spring bracket 44, and half the weight of the springs 40. This can be accomp lished if the product of the spring force times the effect1ve moment arm of the line of action of the springs 40 relative to center 22 is equal for both of the extreme positions of spring bracket 44 relative to arm 18.

Referring to Fig. 1 it can be observed that if bracket 44 is adjusted fully to the right relative to arm 18 the maximum spring extension is obtained when in the up position. Also, it is seen that the effective moment arm of the line of action of springs 40 relative to center 227 1s at a When bracket 44 is adjusted fully to the left relative to arm 18 the spring extension is at a minimum when in the up position and the effective moment arm of the line of action of the springs 40 relative to center 22 is at a maximum. It is thus possible to arrange the geometry so that the product of the spring force tunes the moment arm relative to the center 22 when the spring bracket 44 is located fully to the right relatrve to arm 18 is equal to the product of the spring force times the moment arm relative to center 22 when the spring bracket 44 is located fully to the left relative to arm 18.

.The procedure for adjusting the capacity of the selfleveling dispenser to correspond to the characteristics of the goods to be dispensed may be simply accomplished as follows. Bracket 44 is moved fully to the right relative tov arm 18 as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the least amount. of counterbalance force will be exerted on the platform when supporting material. When the platform has been fully loaded the Vdispenserplatform-10. will lbe resting It is the are.

on the channels 28. It will be understood that since the bracket 44 has been set at the minimum rate, the platform 10 may have come to rest on the channels 28 prior to the carrier platforms being fully loaded. Bracket 44 is then moved to the left relative to arm 1S by rotating nut 76 with adjusting crank 78. This operation requires no energy other than that needed to overcome frictional resistance of the adjusting system. When the proper adjustment has been reached this fact is automatically signaled by the movement of platform 10 loaded with goods slightly oil` of channels 28.

The invention hereinabove described may be varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

l. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a base, an upright framework extending upwardly from said base, a carrier movable up and down relative to said framework, means for maintaining said carrier horizontal as the carrier travels up and down, counterbalancing spring means anchored at one end to said framework, a member having an arcuate slot which is concentric to the -anchorage of said spring means when said apparatus is fully loaded, means connecting the other end of said spring means to said arcuate slot, said connecting means being adjustable along said slot, means connecting said carrier to the member having said arcuate slot for counterbalancing material placed on said carrier by means of said springs, and an adjusting member for moving said adjustably connecting means along said arcuate slot to change the capacity of said apparatus.

2. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a base, an upright structure extending upwardly from said base, a carrier platform movable up' and down relative to said base and upright structure, a counterbalancing spring having one end thereof secured against movement relative to said base and upright structure, a pivoted lever arm interconnected with said carrier platform, an arcuate cam track formed on said lever arm'Y which describes a concentric arc about the point at whichv the end of said spring is secured against relative move-` ment when said carrier is in fully depressed condition, a' cam follower adjustably connected to said cam track, means for connecting the other end of said spring with said cam follower, and means for changing the position of said cam follower along said track to vary the capacity of said apparatus by changing the effective length of said lever arm.

3. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a framework, a material supporting platform movable up and down rela-tive to said framework, counterbalancing spring means having one end thereof pivotally anchored against movement relative to said framework, a lever arm pivotally mounted on said framework and having an arcuate cam track formed therein which is concentric with the pivotally anchored vone end when said lever arm is in the position it occupies when said carrier has descended Ito its lowermost position of travel, a ca m follower mounted in said cam track, means for adjusting the position of said follower in said track to vary the capacity of said self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus, means interconnecting said carrier with said lever arm, and means interconnecting the free end of said spring means with said cam follower to impart a counterbalancing force on said carrier to maintain the top of the material supported on said carrier at a constant, predetermined elevation.

4. A self-leveling, storing, and dispensing apparatus comprising a framework, a material supporting carrierY movable up and down relative to said framework, supporting structure connected to said carrier for maintaining said carrier horizontal and confining said carrier to up and down movement relative to said framework, counterbalancing spring means having one end thereof pivotally anchored to said framework, said counter-balancing spring means acting linearly from said pivoted anchor, a lever arm having an arcuate cam formed thereon, said arcuate cam track being concentric with said pivotal anchor when said carrier has been fully depressed, a cam follower tracking on said cam, means connecting the other end of said counterbalancing spring means to said cam follower, means for adjusting the position of said cam follower along said cam track to vary the capacity of said self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus, and means interconnecting said lever arm with said material supporting carrier to transmit the counterbalancing force exerted by said springs to said carrier so as to maintain the material supported on said carrier at a constant elevation.

5. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a framework, an upright extending upwardly from said framework, a lever arm pivotally mounted at one end to said framework, a bracket pivotally connected at its center to said framework, a second bracket pivotally and adjustably connected at its center to said lever arm, calibrated springs arranged parallel with respect to each other and located on both sides of the pivotal points of said brackets and interconnected between said first and second brackets, a material supporting platform interconnected With said lever arm, means for limiting said platform to up and down movement along a predetermined path of travel, and adjusting mechanism for controlling the point at which counterbalancing force is to be exerted by said second bracket along said arm to thereby vary the capacity of said self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus.

6. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a framework including a base, an upright extending upwardly from ysaid base, a bracket pivotally mounted at its center to said framework, a material supporting platform movable up and down relative to said upright, a second bracket pivotally connected at its center to a mechanism for raising and lowering said platform, and a plurality of counterbalancing springs arranged in parallel with respect to each other and interconnecting said rst and second brackets for maintaining the top of the material on said material supporting platform at a substantially constant elevation.

7. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus having the features provided for in claim 6 wherein the second bracket is pivotally connected to a lever arm which is interconnected to said platform for varying the effective counterbalancing force exerted by the pivotal connection of said second bracket to vary the capacity of said self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus.

8. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a framework, a horizontal material supporting platform, a linkage including a parallelogram having two parallel arms one above the other with the corresponding first end of each pivotally fixed to the framework, the opposite end of each arm being pivotally connected at spaced points to a link, said link having a bracket rigid 'therewith and extending horizontally, at an angle to said link, said platform being rigidly c011- nected in a horizontal position to the bracket, and a counterbalancing spring connected with said parallelogram for imparting counterbalancing force thereto to raise and lower said material supporting platform a distance which is directly proportional to the weight of the material supported thereon, to maintain the top thereof at a constant elevation.

9. A self-leveling, strong and dispensing apparatus having the features provided for in claim 8, wherein said spring is pivotally anchored at one end to said framework, a curved cam formed on one of the parallel arms of said parallelogram, said cam forming a concentric 'arc about the pivotally anchored end of said spring when said carrier has been fully depressed, a cam follower adjustably mounted on said cam for regulating the effective length of said parallel arm, and means connecting the opposite end of said spring to said cam follower.

10. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a framework, a material supporting carrier, a linkage including a parallelogram having two parallel arms, one above the other with the corresponding first end of each pivotally fixed to the framework, the opposite end of each arm being pivotally connected at spaced points to a link, said link having a bracket rigid therewith and extending horizontally, at an angle to said link, said carrier being rigidly connected in a horizontal position to the end of the bracket remote from the link, said linkage connected to the carrier restricting said carrier to up and down movement along a predetermined path relative to said framework while simultaneously maintaining said carrier horizontally, counterbalancing springs interconnected with said parallelogram to exert a counterbalancing force on said material supporting carrier which is directly proportional to the distance moved by said carrier under the weight of material supported thereon so as to maintain the top of the material at a constant predetermined elevation.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,647,030 Fitz Patrick July 28, 1953 

